Drea De Matteo joins 'Housewives'

Drea De Matteo is joining the cast of Desperate Housewives, says Entertainment Weekly.

The actress, who appeared as Matt Le Blanc's sister in ill-fated Friends spinoff Joey, will become a series regular when the ABC show returns for its sixth season this fall.

She will play the matriarch of a new Italian family, wife and mother to Nick and Dominic Vitale. Her character has reportedly been drafted in to fill the void left by Nicolette Sheridan's character Edie Britt.